“But why?
I scoffed. “Sold some crap to Grandfather and Mom about wanting time to get to know me better. And get this—Mom told me to take him for a test drive. As in, have sex with him and see if I liked it!”
Liam made a choking sound from across the room before croaking out, “I’m still here.”
Waving my hand in his direction, I brushed him off. “We know. Just don’t care. If you’re uncomfortable, leave. Take Preston with you while you’re at it.”
Amy was sorting through all this in her mind, carefully processing the information. “This doesn’t make any sense. He already knows you. We all know you two can’t stand each other, so why make a push to live together? Something’s missing here. Did he say anything to you that would give us any clues as to his motives?”
Racking my brain, I tried to replay my conversation with Preston—it was short, and my memory was spotty due to how angry he’d made me. The virgin comment was on brand for him, aiming for maximum shock value. Now that I thought about it, there was one thing he said that was a little odd.
Seeing realization dawning on my face, Amy exclaimed, “You figured it out, didn’t you?”
Chewing on my bottom lip, I mused, “Well, he did say something about being accessible the next time I wanted to go shopping. You don’t think he knows . . .”
“How could he know?” She paused. “Liam, did he say anything to you when he met with you last week about the reunification center?” Turning our heads to look at Liam, we found him hiding behind his newspaper. Instantly suspicious, Amy narrowed her eyes. “Liam . . .”
Lowering the newspaper only enough that his bright blue eyes peered over the top, he replied, “Yes, sweetheart?”
“Does Preston know that Lucy took him shopping all day to get him to break off their courtship?” When he didn’t answer, she fixed him with a look. “If you don’t spill right now, you can sleep in your own master bedroom tonight.”
Oh, did I mention that each apartment featured dual master bedrooms? That would come in handy if I couldn’t evict Preston for a few days.
Liam lowered the paper completely, sighing. “He may have an idea that there’s a plot afoot.”
Standing, I put my hands on my hips, staring down my big brother. “And how exactly did he come acrossthatidea?”
Putting his hands up, he tried defending himself. “I didn’t tell him. He guessed.”
Amy stood next to me in solidarity. “Whose team are you on?”
A pained expression crossed Liam’s face. “Why must there always be teams? Why can’t I be Switzerland?”
She challenged him, “You picked a team when it came to Natalie and Jaxon.”
Liam had been the only man in Natalie’s life for years when she became entangled with Jaxon, causing him to become overprotective to the point of endangering their relationship. Ithad taken time and a lot of work on his part, but they eventually made peace with each other. Liam asked Jaxon to stand by his side during their state wedding, but unfortunately, he would be too busy with his hockey team at that time, hopefully gearing up for the playoffs.
Grumbling, he responded, “Yeah, and look how well that turned out. I’m always on the losing team.”
Gloating, she prompted, “And who is always on the winning team?”
“You are, sweetheart.”
“I suggest you keep that in mind because I am on Team Lucy right now.”
“Noted.” Standing, he grabbed his laptop and headed for the door before adding, “I’ll leave you two to your war plans. The less I know, the better. I don’t want to end up in the middle of this.”
Amy walked to where he stood, lifting up on her toes to press a kiss on his lips. Patting the side of his cheek, she smiled. “Smart man.”
Once he was gone, she latched the door to the living room, rejoining me on the couch, all business. “Okay, we have clearly underestimated Preston. Moving in is a bold move. Involving the Big Wigs was crossing a major line.”
Shaking my head, I was slightly dazed. “I still can’t believe what my mom said.”
Amy smirked. “I can.”
Eyeing her, I asked, “What is that supposed to mean?”
Slightly bashful, some color rose to her pale cheeks. “Addy is slightly more progressive than you give her credit for.”
